With two wars taking much of the worldâs attention, Germany wants to bring about fundamental changes to its army. Boris Pistorius, Germany Defense Minister, pledged to make the Bundeswehr (German army) the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe.
Russiaâs full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a turning point, as said by the German chancellor Olaf Scholz, a âZeitenwendeâ, a historic turning point for Europe and Germany. âGermans must therefore ask, âWhat capabilities do we need in order to counter this threat.â And Scholz announced âŹ100 billion fund to bolster the German military.
If Germany goes ahead with this plan, it would represent the largest absolute jump in German military spending since World War II. The countryâs leaders are vowing to transform Germany into a military power capable of taking responsibility for Europeâs security.
Only Rhetoric or Will Germany Actuate it
It remains to be seen whether Germany will actually go with plans to overhaul and strengthen its military to meet the worldâs new security demands. Germany continues to be stuck with its dark Nazi past. And German soldiers are time and again implicated in high-profile cases of right-wing extremism â mainly the Kommando Spezialkrafte (K.S.K) (German armyâs special forces).
And Germanyâs plans or rhetoric hasnât threatened Russia either. Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said its well known in history that Germany is largely defined by its aversion to extreme nationalism and militarism. And West-Germany population have been wary of wars and fearful that it would provoke Russia.
But the German Defense minister called for a change of mentality. âAt stake is the security of our country, and thus the foundation for social coexistence, progress and economic growth. As a state and a society, we need to be able to defend ourselves and be resilient so that we can continue to live in peace, freedom and security in the future.â
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Lot of Pressure on Germany
Pistorius acknowledged that the Bundeswehr would still be forced to prioritize for the foreseeable future after decades of neglect in which necessary military structures and capabilities had been given up.
Meanwhile, thereâs pressure on Germany to stick by its pledge to permanently deploy a combat brigade to Lithuania and allocating âŹ8 billion in 2024 on military support for Ukraine. Furthermore, Germany has made lofty promises of troop contingents â 30,000 troops, 85 ships and jets.
